Glasgow schools are punching above their weight - for yet another year.

As Education Scotland releases exam results for this year's pupils, the Evening Times can reveal Glasgow has the poorest schools in the country but is still achieving top marks.

Despite the city's children living with the highest levels of poverty, more than half of schools are meeting government targets.

And some are excelling.

Glasgow Gaelic School, the top achieving school in the city, was predicted to get 52% of pupils achieving three or more Highers.

Instead, 82% of its youngsters made the grade.

In terms of results, Notre Dame High School, in Dowanhill, was next on the exam league table with 63% and Hyndland Secondary came in third with 55%.

In Glasgow, the 10 schools with the highest levels of poverty did not meet their targets.

But Castlemilk High, which has 90% of pupils living with the highest rates of poverty, missed its mark by just 1%.

It and Drumchapel High School, which also has 90% of children at level one on the SIMD scale, are the most deprived schools in Scotland.

And St Thomas Aquinas Secondary, in Jordanhill, which has 46% of pupils in the lowest level of the SIMD scale is hailed as an example of a Glasgow school achieving above its targets.

It was predicted to have 32% of pupils gain three or more Highers but actually scored 36%.

Head teacher Andrew McSorely said: "Our results in terms of improvements are significantly above the rest of Glasgow.

"We are in Jordanhill, which is one of the most affluent postcodes in Scotland, and yet we have only one family from the Jordanhill area as children locally tend to go to Jordanhill School or go private.

"And so we have a catchment area from Drumchapel all the way to Queen Street. We are the 33rd most deprived school in Scotland - but our pupils don't know it because we don't tell them and our aspirations are high.

"There is no magic bullet for success. We are simply very focused on learning and teaching. We don't follow fads: we concentrate on what works.

"Do we crack the whip? Yes. But do we get results? Yes.

"But, essentially, we are part of a bigger Glasgow school family that is getting better all the time."

Education Scotland, the public body responsible for supporting Scotland's schools, this year released new data to grade pupil results.

Instead of issuing exam marks by year - fourth, fifth and sixth - it has published results for school leavers, no matter their age.

And to replace the previous benchmark of poverty, free school meals, the authority is using the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), which divides children into five levels.

Level 1 represents children living in the 20% most impoverished postcodes.

Poverty can have a huge impact on children's learning and attainment, meaning Glasgow schools are fighting a tough battle.

Because of the impact of poverty on school exam results the Scottish Government and Education Scotland has this year published more information about schools' achievements other than exam results.

It also shows how schools are doing compared with those in similar socio-economic backgrounds, giving schools a "virtual comparator" to show if the secondary is doing as well as others in the same situation.

Leaver destinations are also published this year, showing how many pupils are going on to training, employment, college or university.

Some 16 out of 30 schools in the city beat their targets while nearly two thirds of those schools have more than 50% of children in the lowest SIMD ranking.

St Thomas Aquinas depute head, Kevin Ferry, said: "Part of our success comes from close monitoring of pupils right the way through school, making sure those in the lowest achieving 20% have extra supports in place.

"We focus on attendance, uniform and positive behaviour. Every student is made to feel important and feel valued."

Councillor Stephen Curran, Executive Member for Education and Young People, said: "As we said in August, more of our pupils than ever before are gaining awards in SQA exams.

"This is down to our innovative partnerships and widening access programmes, including the hub at Glasgow Caledonian University.

"Glasgow's exam success is at an all-time high - exclusions are down and attendance is also up across the city.

"The results are particularly impressive at Higher level with a rise this year of young people passing three or more or five or more Highers by the end of S6 up by around 3%.

"This is an outstanding achievement and proves we are raising the attainment and aspirations and improving the life chances of Glasgow's young people."

Information is published on the Education Scotland Parentzone website.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Parentzone Scotland has been redeveloped with a focus on improving information for parents.

"With the introduction of Curriculum for Excellence, new measures of attainment and achievement and a stronger focus on outcomes have been developed."

Here is the Evening Times' school league table in full.